- Genres: World
Biography
The Bedlam Boys formed as a duo in 1998, after meeting at King Richard's Faire, a Renaissance festival in Boston, MA. Grant Foster, who at the time was singing tenor in the a cappella group the Royale Madrigals, played along with Bridgid's Brood, a duo whose guitarist was Gregor Harvey, on what was to become the new duo of the Bedlam Boys' signature song, "Tom of Bedlam." During the Faire's run they performed together several times and were encouraged by comic and festival regular Ralphie the Ragpicker as well as the audiences' response to their conjoined efforts.By February 1999 they had started rehearsing together, beginning with the Dowland lute songs which they both enjoyed, and which Gregor Harvey later incorporated in his 2001 solo release, Song of the Emperor. However, as they branched out, Harvey played more Irish folk songs for Foster, and the music of Carolan as well. Then Foster experimented with harmony lines and rhythm guitar, and their Celtic focus began to develop. They soon assembled a collection of Irish, Scottish, and English songs, and set out to perform as buskers in Harvard Square. Audience demand insisted that they make a recording, and three weeks later their first release, titled The Bedlam Boys, was on the market.
Fall 1999 saw them return to King Richard's Faire. In the winter, they developed their second recording, Goltraighe, as well as winning first prize in the first-ever OSBC acoustic music competition. In the spring of 2000 they performed at area universities, released Goltraighe on St. Patrick's Day, and completed their first residency, at a well-known Irish bar in Cambridge, the Kendall Cafe.
They returned to King Richard's Faire again in fall 2000, followed by their second residency at the Kendall Cafe. 2001 saw them head south to the Florida Renaissance Festival in warm and welcoming Deerfield Beach, FL. After a very successful season there, they returned to Boston and more performances in their home region. They have also issued a third joint release, Best of Bedlam. ~ Murrday Fisher, Rovi
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